Volusia council blasts plan to review conserved land

Published: Friday, June 15, 2012 at 5:30 a.m.

Last Modified: Wednesday, August 15, 2012 at 2:20 p.m.

Volusia County officials sent a loud and clear message to the regional water management agency on Thursday, saying they won't support any move to sell off conservation land in the county.

The council unanimously approved a resolution opposing the plan presented Thursday morning by Robert Christianson, director of operations and land resources for the St. Johns River Water Management District. Last week, the Flagler County Commission voiced similar concerns and wanted more local input.

The district is in the midst of a year-long process to evaluate the 705,000 acres it owns -- either outright or in conservation easements -- in an 18-county region, to determine whether all of the land is still needed for conservation. Land deemed surplus could be sold, but the profits must be spent to buy other conservation land, under state law.

Christianson is meeting with all the counties the district partnered with to buy land.

The Volusia Council responded with heated indignation, with several council members and County Manager Jim Dinneen blasting the proposal.

Councilman Carl Persis said the process "smells funny" and a visibly upset Councilwoman Pat Northey called it "horrible."

The council also won a promise from Christianson to schedule one of the public meetings in Volusia. The closest meetings had been planned in St. Augustine, Winter Garden and Palm Bay.

Of 97,262 acres the district owns in Volusia, 18,533 are jointly co-owned with the county. In Flagler County, the district owns 21,935 acres, 1,931 jointly with the county.

Much of the district land in the two counties is St. Johns River floodplain or within the Volusia/Flagler Conservation Corridor, a joint Florida Forever project the district worked on with the two counties for more than a decade. The corridor is considered a crucial link in a much larger corridor from the Everglades to the Okeefenokee National Wildlife Refuge.

The Conservation Corridor is a "national model" and has been considered "one of the seven jewels" of the Central Florida region, council members said.

The land was supposed to be protected in perpetuity, said Councilman Andy Kelly. "Obviously that doesn't have meaning. But to me it means forever and ever."

While Dinneen said he respects the need for an agency to review its inventory, he said it appears the district may not evaluate the land with the same criteria used to buy it.

The district and county collaborated closely on many purchases, even ones that each entity owns separately, Dinneen said. The district lands have to be evaluated in terms of the reasons they were bought, the strategic locations and their increased collective value, he said.

For example, Dinneen said, the district may have been buying for water conservation while the county was buying for wildlife habitat, but the two purposes serve each other, especially when the lands border each other.

Christianson said every acre is being evaluated scientifically to assess its value.

He asked the county to "trust the process."

"If there are important conservation lands in the inventory, they will not be disposed of," Christianson said. "To the extent we have important conservation lands in the county, which we do, they're not going to be surplused."

The land was purchased over 35 years for flood protection and control and water resource protection. Though Christianson has declined to single out any properties, he said certain edges or corners might not be needed to fulfill the district's mission. In the past, district officials said certain smaller parcels, occasionally acquired as part of larger overall purchases, may have little conservation value.

The state's five water management districts have been under pressure from legislators and Gov. Rick Scott's office to slash budgets and review land holdings.

Persis said he suspects state administration is driving the entire proposal because "someone is looking to make money off this somewhere."

Councilman Josh Wagner said he expects to see a statewide outcry to the proposal.

"The lawsuits will be from every angle that you can imagine," said Wagner, an attorney, adding the county's legal staff also will be ready to put up a fight.

Several members of the public also responded angrily to the proposal.

Former County Councilman Clay Henderson, one of the more ardent proponents of land conservation statewide, noted some of the district's lands had been purchased with the Volusia Forever and Florida Forever programs.

"What part of the word forever don't they understand," Henderson asked.

Charles Ferguson of Ormond Beach said the district shouldn't "take chinks out of this wonderful armor we have protecting us."

"There's nothing more precious than our water," said Ferguson, adding that wells in Ormond Beach have seen serious saltwater intrusion in his lifetime. "We should protect this. We shouldn't take the slightest chance with it."

The council's four-page resolution states "there are no conservation lands within Volusia County which are no longer needed for conservation purposes."

It will be sent not only to the district's governing board, but also to Gov. Scott and the Cabinet and county officials in each of the 17 other counties in the district.

<p><p>Volusia County officials sent a loud and clear message to the regional water management agency on Thursday, saying they won't support any move to sell off conservation land in the county. </p></p><p><p>The council unanimously approved a resolution opposing the plan presented Thursday morning by Robert Christianson, director of operations and land resources for the St. Johns River Water Management District. Last week, the Flagler County Commission voiced similar concerns and wanted more local input. </p></p><p><p>The district is in the midst of a year-long process to evaluate the 705,000 acres it owns -- either outright or in conservation easements -- in an 18-county region, to determine whether all of the land is still needed for conservation. Land deemed surplus could be sold, but the profits must be spent to buy other conservation land, under state law. </p></p><p><p>Christianson is meeting with all the counties the district partnered with to buy land. </p></p><p><p>The Volusia Council responded with heated indignation, with several council members and County Manager Jim Dinneen blasting the proposal. </p></p><p><p>Councilman Carl Persis said the process "smells funny" and a visibly upset Councilwoman Pat Northey called it "horrible." </p></p><p><p>The council also won a promise from Christianson to schedule one of the public meetings in Volusia. The closest meetings had been planned in St. Augustine, Winter Garden and Palm Bay. </p></p><p><p>Of 97,262 acres the district owns in Volusia, 18,533 are jointly co-owned with the county. In Flagler County, the district owns 21,935 acres, 1,931 jointly with the county. </p></p><p><p>Much of the district land in the two counties is St. Johns River floodplain or within the Volusia/Flagler Conservation Corridor, a joint Florida Forever project the district worked on with the two counties for more than a decade. The corridor is considered a crucial link in a much larger corridor from the Everglades to the Okeefenokee National Wildlife Refuge. </p></p><p><p>The Conservation Corridor is a "national model" and has been considered "one of the seven jewels" of the Central Florida region, council members said. </p></p><p><p>The land was supposed to be protected in perpetuity, said Councilman Andy Kelly. "Obviously that doesn't have meaning. But to me it means forever and ever." </p></p><p><p>While Dinneen said he respects the need for an agency to review its inventory, he said it appears the district may not evaluate the land with the same criteria used to buy it. </p></p><p><p>The district and county collaborated closely on many purchases, even ones that each entity owns separately, Dinneen said. The district lands have to be evaluated in terms of the reasons they were bought, the strategic locations and their increased collective value, he said. </p></p><p><p>For example, Dinneen said, the district may have been buying for water conservation while the county was buying for wildlife habitat, but the two purposes serve each other, especially when the lands border each other. </p></p><p><p>Christianson said every acre is being evaluated scientifically to assess its value. </p></p><p><p>He asked the county to "trust the process." </p></p><p><p>"If there are important conservation lands in the inventory, they will not be disposed of," Christianson said. "To the extent we have important conservation lands in the county, which we do, they're not going to be surplused." </p></p><p><p>The land was purchased over 35 years for flood protection and control and water resource protection. Though Christianson has declined to single out any properties, he said certain edges or corners might not be needed to fulfill the district's mission. In the past, district officials said certain smaller parcels, occasionally acquired as part of larger overall purchases, may have little conservation value. </p></p><p><p>The state's five water management districts have been under pressure from legislators and Gov. Rick Scott's office to slash budgets and review land holdings. </p></p><p><p>Persis said he suspects state administration is driving the entire proposal because "someone is looking to make money off this somewhere." </p></p><p><p>Councilman Josh Wagner said he expects to see a statewide outcry to the proposal. </p></p><p><p>"The lawsuits will be from every angle that you can imagine," said Wagner, an attorney, adding the county's legal staff also will be ready to put up a fight. </p></p><p><p>Several members of the public also responded angrily to the proposal. </p></p><p><p>Former County Councilman Clay Henderson, one of the more ardent proponents of land conservation statewide, noted some of the district's lands had been purchased with the Volusia Forever and Florida Forever programs. </p></p><p><p>"What part of the word forever don't they understand," Henderson asked. </p></p><p><p>Charles Ferguson of Ormond Beach said the district shouldn't "take chinks out of this wonderful armor we have protecting us." </p></p><p><p>"There's nothing more precious than our water," said Ferguson, adding that wells in Ormond Beach have seen serious saltwater intrusion in his lifetime. "We should protect this. We shouldn't take the slightest chance with it." </p></p><p><p>The council's four-page resolution states "there are no conservation lands within Volusia County which are no longer needed for conservation purposes." </p></p><p><p>It will be sent not only to the district's governing board, but also to Gov. Scott and the Cabinet and county officials in each of the 17 other counties in the district.</p></p><p><p><b>MORE:</b> <a href="http://floridaswater.com/landassessment%20sjrwmd.com/recreationguide/">St. Johns River Water Management District land assessment</a></p></p><p><p></p></p><p><p></p></p><p>-----</p>